Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions his Department has had with Govia Thameslink on improving (a) reliability and (b) punctuality on that line.
Answered by Huw Merriman
My officials have regular discussions with Govia Thameslink Railway on their ongoing work to improve performance and deliver the reliable and punctual service that passengers expect.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of trains were cancelled on the Govia Thameslink rail line due to a shortage of available trains in the last 12 months.
Answered by Huw Merriman
In the last 12 months, Govia Thameslink Railway have operated 349,462 Thameslink services. GTR report that 903 (0.26%) of these services were cancelled due to a shortage of available trains.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average spare capacity was on Thameslink trains from Mill Hill Broadway to St Pancras during peak hours in the latest period for which figures are available.
Answered by Huw Merriman
GTR report that the busiest individual Thameslink services between Mill Hill Broadway and St Pancras will typically be at around 50 to 60 per cent of capacity during peak times, with most services outside of the peak being less busy. The eight carriage Class 700 trains which Thameslink operate on this particular route have a nominal capacity of around 1,200 people and were designed to accommodate a large proportion of standing passengers.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve travel experiences for blind and partially sighted people on public transport; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Government remains committed to the ambition set out in the 2018 Inclusive Transport Strategy – that disabled people, including those who are visually impaired, will be able to travel easily, confidently and without additional cost. The Department has taken many steps to progress this commitment; for example, earlier this year we introduced the Accessible Information Regulations, which will require the provision of audible and visible announcements onboard local bus and coach services across Great Britain.
The Department has also made £75m available to Network Rail to ensure that all mainline stations have platform edge tactile paving by 2025.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the feasibility of improving disabled access to platforms at Hendon Broadway station.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Hendon Station was nominated by Govia Thameslink Railway for the next round of the Access for All Programme. The Department will announce the successful stations in due course. Mill Hill Broadway Station was successful in the last round of Access for All funding, this scheme is being progressed by Network Rail which includes the provision of an accessible footbridge and access to the undercroft.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department made of trends in the level of overcrowding on Thameslink trains between Mill Hill Broadway and St Pancras during peak times.
Answered by Huw Merriman
GTR report that the busiest individual Thameslink services between Mill Hill Broadway and St Pancras will typically be at around 50 to 60 per cent of capacity during peak times, with most services outside of the peak being less busy. The eight carriage Class 700 trains which Thameslink operate on this particular route have a nominal capacity of around 1,200 people and were designed to accommodate a large proportion of standing passengers.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made a comparative estimate of the cost of the railway industry in (a) England and (b) other European countries.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The Office of Rail and Road publish annual statistics on rail industry finances (including sources of income and expenditure) by country and network rail region:
Table 7216 – GB Rail Industry Finances since 2015-16 by country And NR Region | ORR Data Portal
In 2021-22 total expenditure on the operation of rail services in England was £20.9 billion. This was split by Network Rail expenditure (£9.5 billion) and franchised train operators (£11.4 billion).
The Department has not made comparisons with rail costs in other countries. However, some expenditure on rolling stock and railway infrastructure information is collected by Eurostat:
Statistics | Eurostat (europa.eu)
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made a comparative estimate of the average cost of railway travel for consumers in (a) England and (b) other European countries.
Answered by Huw Merriman
England has one of widest ranges of fare prices in Europe, including some fare types that are among the cheapest – particularly when booked in advance.
Following last year’s biggest ever Government intervention to cap rail fare increases well below inflation, we will continue to protect passengers from cost of living pressures and we will not increase next year’s rail fares by as much as the July RPI figure (which was 9 per cent). As in 2021, 2022 and 2023, we have also temporarily delayed the fares increase, enabling passengers to purchase tickets at last year’s prices throughout January and February 2024.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of adequacy of safety for disabled passengers on Thameslink; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is required to comply with its Accessible Travel Policy to support its disabled passengers which is regulated by the Office of Rail and Road. GTR’s rail enforcement, safety and station teams are also required to adhere to safety legislation to ensure the safety of all its passengers, including through working with Network Rail and the British Transport Police.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Thameslink trains were cancelled due to drivers not being available in the most recent period for which figures are available.
Answered by Huw Merriman
In the most recent full period available, 17 September 2023 to 14 October 2023, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) operated 25,973 Thameslink services. GTR report that 4.4 per cent of services were cancelled due to traincrew issues, within which 0.9 per cent of services were cancelled due to traincrew sickness. 1 per cent of services were cancelled as a result of line infrastructure issues and one service was cancelled due to adverse weather. Services in this period were affected by industrial action, which led to a higher than normal number of cancellations.